aileen's other island

My trip from one island town to another- Victoria, BC to Ishikari-shi, Hokkaido. I made this blog to keep my family and friends informed about my JET experience.

[aileensotherisland]

Hi there! I'm a first-year JET and just got word literally a few days ago that I'm going to be in Ishikari - I found your blog while looking up information on the city. Mostly I'm excited to have found this blog (hope you don't mind if I creep a bit), but I was wondering if you have any tips specific to what it's like living and working in Ishikari. :)

Ishikarishi is a great town and I'm sure you'll get to know it no problem! You'll have I explore it a bunch, get a second hand bike at the hard off (hard off is a second hand store near hanakawa Minami elementary) and just really check it out! Unfortunately I don't remember a lot of the locations and names of stuff- but I know the other jet who was there for a few years before me had a useful email for the jets who replaced us! I could put you in touch with her if you'd like? Definitely take up snowboarding or skiing if you haven't already also!

[aileensotherisland]

Yosakoi Matsuri 2012 Odori Park, Sapporo

[aileensotherisland]

Ikebana #10 Spring has sprung! All of these flowers came from my ikebana sensei’s garden.

[aileensotherisland]

Kiki at the 白い恋人 chocolate factory! Dreams do come true.

[aileensotherisland]

Took a train to Otaru!

[aileensotherisland]

More footage on the train from Otaru to Teine in Hokkaido, Japan. Ferris Weel!

[aileensotherisland]

Footage on the train from Otaru to Teine in Hokkaido, Japan.

[aileensotherisland]

Ikebana #9 For Kiki's arrival

I again did this all on my own, bought the flowers, trimmed 'em and designed it all alone! I also added a cherry blossom branch because all the cherry trees are just starting to bloom in Hokkaido.

[aileensotherisland]

My parent's first Onsen!

[aileensotherisland]

Ikebana #8

I bought these flowers and did this all by myself!! No help at all from my teacher! Gasp! 

It is to welcome my parents who are arriving today! 

[cabinporn]

A treehouse in the woods near Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

Submitted by Joel Allen.

[aileensotherisland]

I WANT TO GO.

[lookbookdotnu]

[wamwamwam]

lookbookdotnu: Icing Blue part two (by Ivy Xu)

THIS IS A GOOD LOOK

[aileensotherisland]

You should start collecting pictures of fashionable Japanese girls, so we can recreate their outfits. This one would be especially easy to find. I already own a sweater just like that!

[aileensotherisland]

Bean! I am very curious to know where do you clothes/shoe shop ? Are thrift shops trendy in your area of Japan, do they even exist ? Are there plenty of boutiques as well as malls? In short, shopping break down, please. <3

This is very tough to answer because I have to admit I haven't done as much shopping in Hokkaido as I'd like.

But I'll give you the basic rundown!

Thrift stores do exist, we refer to them as 'recycle shops'. The main chain of them in Hokkaido is called "Hard Off", they also have stores that just sell used books called 'Book Off'.

Yes I have made many a joke about the name.

There are a ton of little consignment type stores too, but for the most part the ones in my town seem to cater to older women. I guess that's the case in Victoria too though.

The main best mall is of course the Sapporo Train station. It's gargantuan. It actually consists of three malls in one. But really its more like 5 malls. HUGE

Then there's the Tanuki-kojo-which is this adorable covered strip of stores, lot's of little boutique type places. -Also that's where the club 'Mole' is- where we went once on cross dressing night. It was INSANELY COOL. Hoping to go back there and see Kyary in June.

I usually shop at the Hard Off and at Shimamura. Mostly because I'm cheap. Shimamura has everything you could want to put on your body at really good prices-although it can be pretty cheap sometimes.

And now you know how I dress myself! Thanks for the question!

[brbjapan]

There was a coffee tasting seminar at Yokoi Coffee last weekend. I went to one of their monthly public cuppings a few weeks back, this tasting seminar was a more intensive version of that.

Mr. Yokoi first explained the history of specialty coffee, then had the participants do a blind...

[aileensotherisland]

This is for my sister, you should follow this blog. And take note of the delicious-so that we can go ourselves!

[aileensotherisland]

This is a student laptop at one of my elementary schools. All the kids get one of these, all the classrooms get a smartboard and all the teachers get Ipads.The school is one of ten in Japan testing this high tech stuff and the only one in Hokkaido. IT'S THE FUTURE!!

[aileensotherisland]

Ikebana #7

My favorite flowers! Sweet Peas! One bunch of flowers, two different bases. 

[aileensotherisland]

My house